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After a struggle with injury, Ngidi returns to the scene of his debut with big plans
Today’s T20 international decider against England at Centurion comes on the heels of two matches that ended with thrilling final-over heroics.
On Friday night, it was England and Tom Curran who emerged triumphant by two runs; on Wednesday, it was Lungi Ngidi who bowled the Proteas to a one-run victory.
After Friday’s game, Ngidi sits with a strike rate of 9.8 in just nine matches.
At 23, the strapping, big-built bowler with the beaming, brilliant smile seems to have been around for much longer.
It’s interesting, then, that he talks of the “youngsters” as the most striking aspect of how the Proteas’ dressing room has changed since his return from injury.
“There are a lot of youngsters. The energy and confidence are on a high, even when things don’t go our way. The guys are learning, and that is exciting. With cricket legends coaching you,, it obviously keeps the guys’ spirits very high,” he says of new backroom staff.
Ngidi made his debut at Centurion in early 2017. Since then, the paceman has only featured in 37 of the 111 South Africa has played in all formats.
An abdominal injury ended his debut season after just three matches, while a back injury and a hip injury again kept him out of the side – this time for almost four months.
In January 2018, he made his first comeback, and test debut, against India at Centurion – his home ground – and took 6/39 in the second innings for a man-of-the-match performance.
That year, he played 21 international matches and made his IPL debut for the Chennai Super Kings, while also being awarded a national contract. However, in November, he was again on the sidelines, this time with a knee injury.
Last year, his workload was managed so that he could be fit for the World Cup, but a side strain kept him out of the IPL.
He then picked up a hamstring injury at the World Cup. Since then, he has only been fit for one test, the horror in Ranchi.
This battle with injury is not new to Ngidi, who was left out of the Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2014 due to injury.
“That upset me and I even struggled to watch some of the games, but I knew from the stats how many people who didn’t make it [to the Under-19 World Cup] still went on to play internationally, so that kick-started my motivation to play for the Proteas.”
Going in to the 2019/20 season, his main objective was to be injury free, but, unfortunately, a hamstring tear ruled him out of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) final and the recent tests against England.
Now, after four matches this summer, he is back and returns to the scene of his debut, a sort of full circle, on a ground where he says he feels most comfortable.
“The main thing is just game time. The more I’m on the field, the more confident I get and the better I’ll bowl,” he says.
He says his goals are “getting back to pace, like the 140s [km/h] or high 130s. And hitting that hard length that comes through at a decent pace.”
It’s also about managing workload, he says, because all the injuries and changes have happened so quickly.
Aside from his personal changes and challenges, there is also that of the Cricket SA (CSA) leadership. Asked if CSA’s shenanigans have affected the dressing room, a short, dismissive “nah” was his answer.
With his performance in the first T20 and the Pink ODI, particularly at the death, Ngidi believes he is ready to take up the responsibility at the back end.
“I definitely take on the responsibility and I do see myself as one of the go-to men in those situations,” he says, adding that he can never say he is the premier death bowler.
In that last over on Wednesday, with England needing seven to win, Ngidi varied his bowling with slower balls, off cutters and by rolling his fingers over the seam. This he attributes to his IPL stint and his time in the MSL, where he “learnt that keeping the batsman guessing is one of the main things in a T20”.
“It’s about keeping the batsman under pressure,” says the bowler who aims to make a dent ahead of the T20 World Cup later this year.
Asked what he would like to see when Australia visits later this month, Ngidi says fans must come out in their numbers.
They must “back us and make it uncomfortable [for the Australians]”.
Oh, and regarding Quinton de Kock’s captaincy: “A lot of guys seem to be thriving – so, at the moment, it’s all pretty good,” he says with a rare laugh.
.Today’s game starts at 2.30pm
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